Nightmares? Nah, Just Haute Couture
by Remasa
Summary: Gabriel Agreste hates Haute Couture week. The quirky designs are not his style. But when Audrey Bourgeois "suggests" he create a line to present (the implied threat is not lost upon Gabriel), he finds himself looking at the most unusual places for inspiration.


_Nightmares? Nah, Just Haute Couture_

"Emilie?" Gabriel inquired as he stepped into their sitting room. She looked up from her book. On the floor, their toddler son doodled on some papers. Gabriel held up two idea boards. "Which do you like better? Ducks," he held up one board, "or Renaissance painters?"

His gorgeous wife, radiant in her splendor, pulled the most hideous face he had ever seen. Her lips pursed, her brow furrowed, and she looked as if she just swallowed a bug that flew into her mouth.

"What?" he questioned. He glanced at both boards. "They're not _that_ bad, are they?"

She hesitated. Her eyes darted around the room as she formed her words. "Darling," she began, and he deflated. The boards dropped to the floor. "I just don't really understand Haute Couture."

"This is a mess!" he exclaimed, flopping down on the couch beside her.

She uncurled her legs, marking her place in the book and setting it aside. "Darling," she cooed, sidling up close to him. One arm wrapped around his while her other rubbed his shoulders, "you are brilliant in your own way. Haute Couture week isn't your style. Why are you even bothering to submit a line for it?"

He shook his head. "You don't understand," he said. "Audrey expects me to enter. I know I can't come up with these ridiculous outfits that everyone pretends to admire. She knows this! It's just another one of her tests to see if I'm cut out for this work." He buried his head in his hands, ruffling his hair. "Maybe I'm not."

"Shh, darling, you know you're a genius for fashion." Emilie glanced over at the boards. "Maybe just... not _that_ kind of fashion."

A strangled groan emitted from his covered face. "This is hopeless! I need to have the idea by the end of the week at the _latest_ so I can start making the nightmares – I mean, the costumes."

Emilie chuckled. The sound brought a grin to his own face and he peeked at her through his fingers, then pursed his lips in thought.

"Hmm," he murmured. "What about sound?"

"What?"

"You know... sound. Like waves and music and earbuds and... yeah okay maybe not."

She laughed. "I think you need to take a break. Go play with Adrien for a bit. You haven't seen him all week."

His wife was correct, of course. So distracted in his stress over this upcoming show, he had been neglecting his own family. Especially his son. Obediently, he slid off the couch and landed upon the carpet with a soft _thud._ Adrien looked over to him with a giggle. Gabriel rolled over and crawled up to him, using his elbows to pull himself across the floor. Adrien shrieked with laughter. He snagged an errant crayon on the way over and finally rolled up next to his son.

"Hi, Daddy," he said.

"Hello, sunshine kitty," he teased. "What are you drawing?"

"I'm you!" His son held up his work. Poorly drawn sketches of people littered the papers. Adrien had dressed the stick figures in the wildest and craziest outfits. Shoulder pads bigger than a table, washboard-looking vests, puffy pant legs. And Adrien didn't skimp on the accessories, either. Poofy speckled balls and streamers and ribbon dangled off the oddest spots on the clothes, each a more shocking smash of colors than the previous.

Gabriel tilted his head. Could... could he...?

He pulled one closer and sat up, studying it intently.

"I know that look, darling," came Emilie's delicate voice from the couch. He barely heard it. "Got another idea?"

He reached over and snatched up more of Adrien's drawings, shuffling through them all, the frenetic excitement growing along with the slow smile across his face.

"Darling?"

His head snapped up. "I've got it!" he exclaimed. He jumped to his feet. "I'll use Adrien's drawings! I'll just turn his doodles into outfits!"

"Are you sure?"

"It's bold. It's fresh. It's delightfully eccentric. Oh, this will be amazing!" he crowed. He bent and scooped Adrien into a hug, twirling him around in place. The toddler squealed in delight. "You," he kissed the top of his son's head, "are a genius."

"Genie!" Adrien repeated.

"Yep, you're definitely magic," he agreed. He turned to Emilie. "Our son is a genius!" And he bent over and kissed her forehead. "Darling, I love you."

And as she repeated the declaration, Gabriel grabbed all of the papers and darted out of the room, eager to get to refining the designs.

Emilie sighed and picked up her book again. "I still will never understand Haute Couture."

* * *

"Gabriel, dear, this is some of you best work," Audrey praised. She glanced around at the costumes, all of Adrien's doodles brought to life, and her eyes drifted to his theme. "_Imagination_? That's certainly creative. What inspired you to create such a smash line?"

"My son, of course," he told her. "A child's imagination is limitless. I merely harnessed his creativity."

"Your son? Oh right, Alois."

He bit his tongue to prevent himself from correcting her on instinct.

She barreled on, oblivious. "This certainly tells me that you aren't afraid to think outside of the box, Gabriel. I must confess that I feared that you may have ended up designing yourself into a corner once your usual ideas ran its course. Haute Couture is a way for me to assess if one of my protégés has that spark of genius to keep up with the ever-changing world of fashion." Her face angled toward him. "Congratulations, Gabriel. My faith in you is not unfounded. It reassures me to see I didn't make a mistake in sponsoring you."

And with those final words, she sauntered away, no doubt to destroy some other lowly designer's life. He sagged against the wall with a sigh. His first Haute Couture week, and hopefully his last. He might have the ability to think outside of the box, but that doesn't mean he wanted to ever do it again.

Emilie was right. Haute Couture was confusing.

He left the cleanup to his staff, weaving his way through the crowded halls. As he stepped out into the sunlight, he smiled. Emilie and Adrien both waited for him. He hurried over to them.

"Well, darling?"

He wrapped her into a big hug. "She loved it," he breathed out. "Audrey Bourgeois called me a genius."

"Well, that's old news to me," Emilie teased. "I thought Audrey was supposed to tell me something I _didn't_ already know."

A tug on his leg directed his attention downward. He chuckled and lifted Adrien into his arms. "Hey, my little genius," he said. "Did you have fun in the park?"

"Yeah!" And as Adrien proceeded to ramble about everything he did in the park, Emilie entwined her fingers into his free hand, and they headed home.

He would make it in this world of fashion after all.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Happy Birthday, Caught Feelings! Inspired by a conversation between the two of us over Gabriel turning Adrien's doodles into designs, just like that one father did with his son's superhero drawings._

_Thanks to PerditaAlottachocolate and Tempomental for beta-reading!_

_Check me out on Tumblr under goblin-alchemist._


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